Two types of steering are generally used in vibration rollers for ground compaction, namely articulated or pivot steering and turntable steering. Due to its simple construction, robust nature and relatively low production costs, articulated or pivot steering is not only used in small and large tandem rollers for road construction and asphalt paving, but also in other types of vibration rollers such as combination rollers and ground compactors. Certain situations during the operation of a vibration roller require a lateral offset of the front drum in relation to the rear drum or the so-called crab-steering mode. This is the case when the rear drum is not to follow in the track of the front drum e.g. so as to avoid cracks at the edge of the track, to enable compaction close to the edge of a curve or simply to extend the working width of the vibration roller. In contrast with vibration rollers that are steered by means of turntable steering and in which crab steering of more than 1 m to the right or left is readily possible as a result of the mutually independent adjusting possibilities of the two turntables or drums, it was necessary to invest considerable constructional effort in vibration rollers with pivot steering in order to enable a crab-steering mode.
An apparatus for coupling two frames of a pivot-steered vibration roller in which crab steering can be set is known e.g. from DE 8209885 U1. In order to enable a lateral offset of the front frame with the front drum mounted thereon in relation to the rear frame with the rear drum mounted thereon, the pivot joint is held displaceably relative to the vehicle frame in guide rails together with the coupling element and the steering drive. A disadvantageous aspect of this configuration is the need for a large amount of space for the connection apparatus both in the longitudinal and lateral directions of the vibration roller. As a result of its complex construction and large number of components, the connection apparatus according to DE 8209885 U1 is also very expensive.